Welcome to the Born Today series, where each month I
highlight the most significant album releases of
said month, with a little help from the Rolling
Stone 500. Where info is available, the most recent
and highest fidelity versions (not always the same
thing) are listed. Since it's 2012, we'll be
celebrating the records that came out on the second
year of each decade. It's a good excuse to bust out
that 180-gram slab of vinyl you haven't even opened
yet.

NOTE: To test drive any of these albums I recommend
using the MOG streaming service, which has the
highest bit rate of any online music service at 320
kbps. MOG also allows unlimited downloads to any
Apple or Android device.

Strength, courage, pride, comfort, hope. These are
just some of the words that come to mind when I
think of the marvel that is Curtis Mayfield's voice.
All of these qualities can be heard in his greatest
song with the Impressions, "People Get Ready", but
this anthology, which covers themes from prayer to
violence on the streets, shows just how deep his
soul goes. The compilation was released as a
double-CD set.

The Chronic, Dr. Dre (December 15, 1992)

In the distant future, there will be a city made of
concrete that stretches from one horizon to the
other and is lit by lights in the sky and buildings
on fire. It will be a lawless city, where no one
trusts the nobles, so every peasant will brandish
their own weapons, which they will call "Glocks, AKs,
Uzis, and Nines". The people will call the
finest-bred horses "Six-Fo' Impalas" with chariots
that have wheels called "D's". You see, everything
in their language will include abbreviations or
numerals. For example, loot will still include gold,
silver and diamonds, but it will also include things
called "VCRs". Murder will be called a "187", but to
be totally honest, some of these people will deserve
to get 187-ed, including some of the nobles. Getting
"funky on the mic like an old batch of collard
greens" will be considered a good thing, and will be
proven to be so. I know none of this sounds
possible, but it will happen. Trust me. The city
will be called "South Central Los Angeles" and the
year "Nine Duece". A medical expert called "Dre"
will rule this futuristic jungle, but he will make
expensive headphones that suck. A deluxe version
called Re-lit & From the Vault was released
in 2009.